Category: coffee

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I needed a break and a coffee

Travelling back from Manchester I stopped off at the services for a break, stretch my legs and grab a coffee. Of all the services on the M6 and the M5 between Manchester and Weston-super-Mare, the services at Gloucester are my favourite.

These services are so different to virtually all the others on the motorway network. Unlike the mix of high street chains you seem to find at Welcome Break, Moto and Roadchef, the services at Gloucester are more like a farm shop.

There is a cafe area, with a range of food options, you can have proper meals, snacks, or coffee and cake. They also have a food to go area as well, for those in a rush with pies, sausages, sausage rolls and homemade burgers.

As well as the catering places, the services also have a big farm shop which is full of lots of stuff, including fresh meat and fish, bakery goods, deli stuff and cakes.

It is so different to the other services on the motorway network, you probably wouldn’t even realise that it was a motorway services area. The fact that they are also built into a hill also helps distinguish them totally from the others.

So needing that break, I stopped for a coffee, and ordered a flat white. It was very quiet, but I suspect that was down to the closure of the M5 a few junctions further down.

Another aspect of the services I like is that they have a lovely outdoor area. So I grabbed my coffee and went and sat outside in the sun. It was a little windy, but I found a sheltered table and enjoyed the view as I drank my coffee.

I would say that this is not the best flat white I have had, but it was good flavoured coffee and I enjoyed it.

It was then back into the car. It had taken me two and half hours from Manchester to Gloucester, even with some snow around Keele area. However due to closure of M5 between J13 and J14, it took me another two and half hours to get from Gloucester to Weston-super-Mare, going via Stroud and the M4.

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Well I enjoyed that coffee

flat white

Popped into Caffe Nero for a flat white. They had a special offer of a coffee and a brownie for £4.50, so I had a flat white and a chocolate brownie.

It was just what I needed after going through my inbox.

The brownie was chocolatey and gooey, but wasn’t over rich, light enough to be enjoyed.

The coffee was excellent, there is something about the consistency of experience I find with Caffe Nero, virtually every time I have a flat white at Caffe Nero is I get the same kind of experience, which is nice.

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Decent Coffee

Last week I attended an event, this was a real in-person event in central London. I have not done one of those for a while. I think my last in-person event was back at the beginning of March 2020. One thing I hadn’t missed was the conference coffee which was dire. I wonder sometimes why I even bother drinking it, as it was terrible.

However the venue, The Business Design Centre, did have a cafe on site and they served Illy coffee. So during the afternoon break rather than have a conference coffee, I headed to the cafe and ordered a flat white.

This was a well made coffee and it was delicious.

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Slow Coffee

I was driving down the M4 one evening, when I decided I needed a break and I stopped off at Starbucks at Membury Services. Rather than go into the main services, I headed off to the Starbucks, which though a drive through, also has a large seating area. I prefer these to the coffee places in the main services building.

I was the only person at the counter, but it took a while for me to be served and then it took a while for my coffee to arrive. I guess they were busy with drive though orders, but even so, I wonder why one member of staff focuses on drive through orders and the other member of staff on the wall ups.

I had a flat white in a cardboard cup. It was, like a lot of Starbucks coffee rather bitter. However I had a nice break and then it was back in the car and time to continue the journey.

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Time for Bakers and Baristas

There are a fair few places you can grab a coffee at when visiting the Mall at Cribbs Causeway. I have been to fair few of them (well would you expect anything less). Back in May we were shopping at the Mall and decided to stop for coffee. Bakers and Barista wasn’t busy so we went there and had a flat white and a muffin. 

The muffin was just okay (not enough raspberries in it) and the coffee was nice.

There was a good range of food when we visited. Not a bad place to have a coffee and they have real china cups as well.

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Coffee from another Piaggio

Needing a quick coffee (as in a real coffee) back in May, I was pleased to see close by to our office in Bristol a Coffee Piaggio.

Coffee Piaggio

Great coffee as well.

Was reminded of this Piaggio experience in London a (fair) few years back.

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Nice flat white

flat white

Killing some time before my train I went to Caffè Nero at Central St Giles. Nice warm welcome from the staff and I ordered my usual favourite, a flat white. I didn’t order anything to eat (as I wasn’t very hungry). I found a place to sit and drink the coffee. It was a really nice coffee, and a nice place as well.

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Posh Coffee

We were away in London for the weekend back in August, and one thing that we wanted to do was to see how the other half lived and visit Harrods. Unlikely to do to much shopping there, but it was nice to visit.

Having explored (and got lost in the rest of the store) we found the food halls. As we explored we decided to stop for a coffee at the coffee bar. This is not the most relaxing of places to sit and have a coffee, you basically sit at a bar on barstools, we wanted to have a Harrods coffee drinking experience.

As you might expect I had a flat white, and to be honest it was rather good and I really enjoyed it.

flat white from Harrods

If we wanted to be really “posh” I think we should have visited the tea room on another floor, but I doubt we would have been able to find it!

We did some shopping in the food halls, but I mainly just looked and gasped at the prices of some of the stuff on sale.

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There are services and then there are services

Back in September I was driving back from a conference in the East Midlands. I decide to stop off at the services for a coffee. I could have stopped off at Starbucks at Hopwood Park, but I had decided to avoid the M42 and was driving down the A46 to the M5.

I thus decided to stop off at the Gloucester Services for a coffee.

I really like these services, they are so different to basically all the others on the motorway network. As well as a range of food options, they also have a food to go area as well, for those in a rush. As well as the catering places, the services also have a big farm shop which is full of lots of stuff, including fresh meat and fish, bakery goods, deli stuff and cakes.

I wasn’t hungry, having had a nice lunch at the conference, so I just ordered a flat white.

What was nice, was that the sun was shining, and they have outdoor seating. So out I went to drink my coffee and enjoy some fresh air and sun.

I would say that this is not the best flat white I have had, but it was good flavoured coffee.

These are really nice relaxing services. There are services and then there are services.

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Nice flat white

I was walking past Exmouth Market one evening and decided I wanted a coffee. Most of the usual coffee places were closed, but Caffé Nero was still open. I went in and ordered a flat white.

Despite the fact it was late and I was the only person in the place, the coffee was excellent. Well made and great coffee.

I had been there before on the way to a meeting at City, University of London a few years ago (pre pandemic) and it was nice coffee back then. I had also visited when staying at a nearby hotel.

Exmouth Market is quite a place for restaurants and cafes and after finishing my coffee I walked down the road, getting tempted by the different establishments. I was a little saddened to see that Paesan had closed down. Well not so much closed down, but turned into a pizza and craft beer place. I had had some excellent pasta there two years ago.

I enjoyed my coffee and carried on with my walk.